Designer of the Week - The Memis

This week a heavenly little box arrived at the KID household all the way from Canada. Inside was a collection of sleepy sheep from TheMemis, attached by their little pink noses as though they were kissing each other on the snouts. I sent these Sweet Dreams sheep to my very good friend and brand new mum, Marni, who helped me out with this review.

This delightfully sweet sheep and hearts garland is delicately handmade from felt and ribbon and hangs approx. 60cm in length. It arrived in a kraft box, lined with a crisp paper doily and kind of made my heart melt a little bit when I opened it. As with many of the items we review here at KID independent, this garland is even lovelier in person that it is on your computer screen.

The sweet sheep mobile is perfect for displaying on a nursery wall, above a crib, or as a baby shower gift.

The Verdict… Just plain adorable.

TheMemis is a creative project by Emi, who lives in Canada where she relocated in 2012, from Argentina. Emi says, “I was very excited and I dedicated a lot of time to make it cozy and beautiful… But when I was shopping for my new home, I realized I wanted something special, different, something unique, just made for me: I didn’t want my living to look identical to the store catalogue.”

So Emi decided to create some decorative pieces on her own. She explains, “It was winter in Canada!!! My first winter in this very cold country of minus 20C, so I was spending a lot of time at my warm home, drinking hot chocolate and letting my creativity fly. My friends liked what I was making and started to ask me to make new pieces for them; something to match the colour of their living room, something special for their new baby…”

“I decided it was the moment to do what I love; create unique pieces for special moments, to celebrate life and love, if possible, everyday! Each Memis is designed and made to transmit the good vibes you can only find in unique things, made with care and love. You won’t find two identical pieces. You can ask us for any details and changes you can dream up, and you can have your Memis wherever you live on the planet.”

Emi chose her business name to honour her first buyers, friends and neighbours. She says, “My name is Emi, and many people call me Memi. So when my friends saw my dolls they started to call them “The Memis”. It became so popular between them that I felt I had to name the brand the way they loved it… TheMemis.

Here’s the low down on Emi’s design process:

“I try to make each piece as cute as possible. I like to start by making some drawings, then I cut a pattern and make the first piece. Sometimes I really love this first prototype but other times I have to make ten until I feel happy about it.”

“However, what I care the most when I’m sewing a new doll is the love, the good vibes, the care I put in each piece. Sometimes I see industrial toys/products and I think that it just came from a machine; there was no one behind it doing their best to get an amazing product and imagining how this product will make someone smile. I think that this good energy makes each piece unique.”

Here’s three fun facts about Emi (in her own words):

I knew my husband through Internet (ICQ) when I was 16. I was in Argentina and he was in Egypt. We were madly in love but we were kids and it was impossible to meet. After years of chatting and dreaming, we finally met two years ago at Disney USA. After that we cross the ocean in all directions around 4 times, until we decided to get married and build our family in a new country (where we both speak English). That’s how we landed in Canada… it is a dream come true!!

I love dogs so much, I volunteer in a shelter and I secretly dream opening my own one.

I am totally addict to the Argentinian Dulce de Leche, a traditional sweet similar to Caramel.

Memis are premium handmade nursery decors, collectibles and party favours, to celebrate life and love. Buy a Memi here.